1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hair clip. In particular, this invention is directed to a hair clip having a structure such that a variety of decorative ornamentations can be accommodated easily and securely to the hair clip.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Hair clips have been used for a long time to keep hair up in a particular style or to keep hair away from the face and eyes. In addition to its functionality, hair clips also provide the user with an opportunity to add an ornamental flair to their hair.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 348,121 to Park discloses a hair clip. This hair clip has a prominent curve on the upper bill and a straight lower bill. Park does not suggest that ornamentation can be affixed to the upper bill, and the side wings of the upper bill of Park are too upright to allow ornaments such as beads or jewels to be sufficiently visible.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 117,861 to Woodford discloses a hair curler having parallel clamping jaws wherein the top jaw has a groove. However, this device is a hair curler and there is no suggestion that the groove can be used for ornamentation. Indeed, there would be no point to the curling device having ornamentation and the design of the groove has upright wings that would conceal any ornamentation affixed within it.
A problem frequently arises that the hair pin can become tangled in the hair making it difficult for the user to clip or unclip the hair. This problem is exacerbated when an ornament or the like is present on the hair clip. The presence of an ornament greatly increases the chance of entangling the hair in the clip. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,106,215 to Grandis et al discloses an improvement to a hair clip in which the upper jaw serves as a clamp and as an ornament. This clip, however, can suffer from the problem that hair can be easily tangled in the ornamentation. Further, the ornament is limited in design to a floral shape and there is no ability of the Grandis et al hair clip to change the design easily.
Another problem with conventional hair clips is that the user may want the hair clip to hold the hair effectively but not want the non-ornamental parts of the clip to be visible. For example U.S. Pat. No. Des. 177,617 to Ecker et al discloses an essentially flat, metal clip with ornamentation disposes on the handle portion. The Ecker et al clip suffers from the problem that the hair can easily become tangled in the clip. Further, the functional part of the clip, i.e. the clamping portion contains no ornamentation. Thus, the clamping portion is visible. Moreover, the design cannot accommodate the user's own ornaments and the design itself is limited to a bow.
A still further problem with hair clips is that they contain very little or no ornamentation at all. For example, U.S. Pat. Des. Nos. 415,312 and 403,111 show a duckbill type hair clip that contains no ornamentation. Moreover, they have no ability to accommodate easily and securely ornamentation selected by a user or designer.
Thus, conventional hair clips have limited types of designs or no ornamentation at all. No clips allow the consumer to add their own ornaments such as beads or jewels to the hair clip. A manufacturer is generally limited by existing molds and cannot continually modify their designs to suit market trends. In addition, the colors of the ornaments may also be limited, and the manufacturer may lack flexibility in changing colors.
Other problems arise because the ornament is not securely fastened to the clip. This can cause the ornament to fall off during use sometimes soon after the consumer purchases it.